


Whatever Remains, However Improbable

by Minutia_R



Category: A Redtail's Dream (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 10:49:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10015547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minutia_R/pseuds/Minutia_R
Summary: Somethingis weird about Hannu's new housemate, but Paju knows it can't be what the Kuikka twins claim it is.





	

“And when Hannu’s parents bring Ville back from the city, we can--”

Jonna interrupted Paju with a puzzled frown. “Ville’s in the back. Did you want him for something?”

“Oh!” said Paju. “No, I meant dog Ville.”

Did Paju have food stuck in her teeth or something? If so, it was really rude of Jonna to not tell her and just stand gaping at her like that.

“Joona!” Jonna called. “Come listen to this.”

Joona hurried over, wiping his floury hands on his apron.

“Tell him what you just said to me,” said Jonna.

“I _said_ , when Hannu’s parents bring Ville back from the city--”

“Ville’s in the back,” said Joona.

“ _Dog_ Ville!” Paju snapped.

“Oh my God,” said Joona.

“I know, right?” said Jonna.

“ _What?_ ” said Paju.

Joona made a little soothing gesture with his hands. “Look, Paju, I know you don’t like it when weird stuff happens and there’s no rational explanation for it, but you can’t seriously believe that dog Ville and human Ville are two different people.”

“No …” said Paju slowly. The twins could be kind of dumb sometimes, and you had to spell things out to them. “Because dog Ville is a dog. Not a person.”

“Pfff.” Jonna’s shoulders shook like she was trying to hold back laughter, but a snort escaped anyway. “So that sauna by the abandoned logging camp. Makes weird noises at full moon because of the wood settling, right?”

“No, wait, don't tell me,” Joona put in. “You really bought the story about Oona being adopted.”

“Well, of course she's adopted!” said Paju.

“Paju,” said Jonna. “She looks exactly like me at that age.”

“No, she looks like me,” said Joona. “Hey, maybe Paju thinks that Oona is yours but she's too polite to say so.”

“Heh. I’d have been working right up to the day she was born while somehow nobody noticed I was pregnant, but at least that'd be a rational explanation. Or else--she could be yours.”

“Both of ours! Our--” Joona guffawed, gasped for breath, tried again to finish his sentence. “Our shameful secret incest baby.”

Jonna was laughing so hard that she’d collapsed on the counter. Paju hit her on the back of the head with a geography book.

“You guys are such assholes. We’ll see who's laughing when Hannu’s parents bring dog Ville back from the city.”

“Uh huh. We’ll sure look like idiots then.” Jonna wiped her eyes. “You want to make a bet? If Hannu’s parents _do_ bring dog Ville back, and human Ville is still here, we’ll do your grading for a month. But if they don't, you'll take out the trash at the end of the day for a month.”

“Like I’d trust you two with my students’ tests. You'd probably just draw dicks in the margins.”

Joona turned to Jonna. “She's not going to go for it. Even Paju’s not crazy enough to think that Hannu just happened to acquire a housemate with the same name as his dog on the day his dog disappeared.”

“At least I’m not stupid enough to think that dogs can just happen to turn into humans,” said Paju. “You're on.”

#

Jonna and Joona were such assholes. And Hannu was the biggest asshole. He’d told them when dog Ville had gotten hit by that truck. He must have, and then they’d set Paju up. Why would he tell them and not her? Assholes.

“Hey,” said Ville by Paju’s shoulder. Human Ville. “That's really nice of you, but I can take the trash out.”

Behind them, Jonna was watching with a smirk. Damned if Paju was going to give Jonna the satisfaction of seeing her back down. She hefted the bulging plastic sack and set her teeth. “I've got it.”

“But, uh … why? You don't even work here, do you?”

Ville had been working at the Kuikka store for almost two months, but there was a note of real uncertainty in his voice, like he thought that maybe Paju did work there and somehow he hadn't noticed. It was weird, the things he didn't know, and the things he didn't know he didn't know, and the things he wouldn't admit he didn't know.

“No,” said Paju. “I, uh--” Knowing that he would believe whatever she said next, that he'd accept it as something he obviously should have known, was what made her finish up in a mumble, “IlostabetwithJonnaandJoona.”

“What was the bet?”

Paju looked into his round, earnest face, with his hair standing out in fluffy licks around it, the exact shade--couldn't say: they think you're a dog. Couldn't.

“Ville,” said Paju, “do you ever wonder whether you're going crazy?”

He blushed, looked down, toed at the path. “I sometimes have trouble remembering things. You know that.”

Of course. Paju could have bitten through her tongue. “No, I meant …” she said. “I meant me.”

“You?” said Ville, his eyes wide and incredulous.

“Nevermind,” said Paju, trudging on towards the dumpster.

Assholes, all of them--Jonna and Joona and especially Hannu. But Ville was all right.

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the Sherlock Holmes quote that starts "When you have eliminated the impossible ..."
> 
> What's the deal with Oona, anyway? No one knows. Magic, presumably.


End file.
